Window-shade fixture.



I. W. TATUIVI.

WINDOW SHADE FIXTURE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 8.19I.

JAMES WILLIAM TATU'M, OF COATS, NORTH CAROLINA.

WINDOW-SHADE FIXTURE.

Soeccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 15, 1915.

Application filed .Tuly 8, 1914. Serial No. 849,790.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES W. TATUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Coats, in the county of Harnett and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Window-Shade Fixtures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to window shade fixtures, and comprises a roller to which a shade is secured and upon which it it wound, supported at its ends in brackets fastened to the window frame, said brackets being constructed to frictionally clamp the ends of the roller and hold the roller against turning, and maintain the shade in fixed position into which it has been moved by the operation of raising or lowering the same. The clamping action of the brackets while sufficient to maintain the roller and shade in any position into which they have been moved, offers slight resistance to the roller turning when the shade is lowered by grasping said shade and drawing it downward, or raising it through the operation of proper elevating means.

A further object of the invention relates to a novel device for limiting the downward movement of the shade by positively stopping and locking the roller to prevent further turning thereof when the shade has been almost entirely unwound therefrom, thereby preventing the shade becoming detached or torn from the roller and relieving the fastening devices which secure the shade from undue and unnecessary strain.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved window shade fixture applied to a window. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one end of the xture. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite end of the fixture. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the end of the fixture illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the roller-supporting brackets.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a shade roller to which a shade 11 is secured by tacks 12 in the usual manner or by other suitable and well-known fastening devices. The roller 10 projects at each end a suitable distance beyond the shade to provide bearings which are supported in brackets 13, 14, screwed or otherwise fastened to a window frame A.

Each bracket is cut from sheet metal, preferably, sheet steel, and bent into shape, and comprises a base plate 15, through which are formed two holes 16 for screws that fasten the bracket in position. From the bottom of the base plate 15 two arms 17 and 18 project outwardly one above the other at substantially right-angles to said base plate. The lower arm 17 is downwardly curved at its front end as at 19 to form a seat for the shade roller 10. rlhe upper arm 18 is bent upward slightly and extends over the top of the roller 10 pressing thereon, and holding the roller in the curved seat 19 of the lower arm, the friction between the two arms being sufhcient to hold the roller against rotation due to the weight of the shade 11 depending therefrom. The arms 17, 18 are normally resilient and may be made to grasp the roller with sufficient friction to hold the same against turning, but for the purpose of adjusting this pressure upon the roller in case rollers of slightly different diameters are used, a bolt 21 is passed through the two arms 1'?, 18, and by means of a nut 22 thereon the two arms may be drawn together and the tension on the roller increased as desired. The outer ends of the arms 17, 18 are spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit the roller being inserted therebetween by springing said arms open, the outer extremities 23, 24, of the respective arms being bent away from each other as shown to form a mouth into which the roller is inserted. Preferably the ends of the roller where they engage the brackets 13, 14, are furnished each with a circular groove 10a to engage said brackets and prevent the roller moving endwise therein. This construction, however, is not absolutely necessary, as other means may be provided to prevent endwise movement.

For the purpose of winding the shade upon the roller a cord 25 is fastened to the roller 10 between the bracket 13 and the shade 11 and winds around said roller whenever the shade is drawn downward. Upon pulling the cord the roller 10 turns in the opposite direction and winds the shade thereupon. For guiding the cord about the roller an arm 2G extends forwardly from the bracket 13 and passes below the roller, the projecting end of said arm having an openin 27 therethrough to guide the cord.

rejecting radially from the roller 10, preferably near the bracket 14 and a short l distance back from the edge of the shade where it is secured to the roller by tacks 12, or otherwise, is a pin 28 having a flat head as shown that is covered by the turns of the shade as the latter is wound upon the roller. Through the arms 17, 18, of the bracket 14 are slots 29 into which the depending leg 30 of a substantially horizontal plate 31 projects and is adapted to rise and fall therein by gravity. The plate 31 extends forwardly over the top of the roller 10 and shade thereon, and normally rides on the outermost fold of the shade with its forward edge 32 just back of the vertical center of the roller 10. The plate 31 rises and falls as the shade winds upon or unwinds from the roller and when the shade is drawn down to such an extent as to uncover the pin 28 the latter will engage the forward edge 32 of the plate 31 and stops the roller from further rotation, locking the same with the end of the shade 11 fastened to the roller by the tacks 12 a semi-circumference back from the pin 28, a distance sufficiently far to prevent the shade being torn from its fastenings 12. A finger 33 may project forwardly from the forward edge of the plate 31 to guide said plate during the rotation of the roller and prevent the plate cutting into the shade as the roller is revolved.

What I claim is,-

1. In a window shade fixture, a shade roller, a bracketrsupporting each end of said roller, a pin projecting radially from said roller adjacent the point of attachment of the shade thereto and adapted to be covered by the shade as the latter is wound on the roller, and a gravity-operated plate adapted to rest upon the turns of the shade about the roller above the pin and engage said pin to stop rotation of the roller when the shade is unwound to a sufficient extent to expose the pin. Y Y

2. In a window shade xture, a shade roller, brackets supporting the ends of said roller when the shade has been unwound sufcientlyto expose said pin.

3. In a window shade fixture, a shade roller, brackets supporting the ends of saidV roller, a shade fastened to said roller and adaptedto. be wound thereon, a pin projecting a short distance from the roller adjacent the attachment of said shade thereto, andY adapted to be covered by the shade when the latter is wound upon the roller, a substantially horizontal plate having a depending leg slidable ,vertically in one of said brackets, said plate adapted to project over the roller and the shade above the line of rotation of said pin, said Yplate following the shade as it is wound upon and unwotmd from the rollerand arranged to engage said pin to stop rotation of the roller when said pin has become exposed through the unwinding of the shade.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set i my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-V nesses. Y

JAMES WILLIAM TATUM.

Witnesses:

R. O. STEWART, D. E. OxENDrNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the CommissionerY of Patents. Washington, ID. C. 

